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Friday, July 20, 2012

Snakes Alive! Stories, tools for kids and learning, cooking techniques, traps and snares with snakes, treatment and a good dog

Snakes and the Southern Appalachian Highlands

Snakes! Snakes.
Snakes. Why do we take really
cool and useful things and turn them into expletives, illegal words for common
use, and then let others slip by as perfectly ok. Like snakes.
I think from now on when I am tempted to shout some profanity I will
resort to my grandpa’s exclamation, “Snakes alive!”

I
understand how people can really be fascinated with snakes. They have a certain beauty, they emit a
powerful, transfixing gaze, and display predatory prowess that all martial
artists can and should learn from. From
ancient biblical texts to modern studies suggesting that snake-like images
actually cause the brain to emit certain chemicals triggering immediate “fight
or flight” sensations in people, snakes have a revered and respected status
among creatures that roam the Earth. In
North Carolina folks are keenly aware of their presence.

My walk
with this legless brother began many years ago on my grandpa’s tobacco
farm. We were pulling rocks up in a
field. One rock loosed an intertwined
cluster of baby copperheads that shot in all directions. I was saved by a quick thinking father who
grabbed me up by the shoulders just as the critters reached my feet. How many snake stories can you think of? I have many.
Some are passed down, more than a couple are first-hand accounts. The scariest one by far, however, was my Dad’s
lake skiing trip in high school. A girl
let go at the outside of a turn and slid into the water a safe distance from
the shore. When the boat got back around
to her riddled body it was clear that she had invaded a populous nest of
excited moccasins which were not visible to the fast moving boat on the surface. Oh my.
Then there is the family whose embellished story got me a trip to the
school counselor in 7th grade after my horrified English teacher
turned in the paper to school administrators.
A winter fire in their new cabin awoke a large nest of pit vipers, all
of which crawled onto the floor, killing the heroic husband who carried his
wife out safely only to die on the front step.
And just as shivering more than one frontiersmen of the old day shacked
up with rattlesnakes, cold and slow, dormant in their winter hideouts, to ride
out a rough storm in Appalachian backcountry.
North Carolina has the ominous distinction of holding the national top
spot for venomous snake bites. And with
our variety of terrain it’s no surprise.
We have water moccassins, coral snakes along the coast, a few
rattlesnake specimens, and of course copperheads. Combine that with a large rural population,
continued development, a number of clueless tourists and huge outdoor
recreation industry and you get – snake bites.
This year is what I call a snake year, meaning the numbers are high and
the critters are on the move. I am
particularly motivated to give this topic literary attention since my best
little buddy, Gee Lee (“Dog” in Cherokee), is suffering a terrible post-bite
period at this very moment and seems to be on the verge of death. Personally I think Cold Mountain, NC, should
be renamed Rattlesnake Lair. They grow
larger than a man’s leg in girth and even meaner in attitude.

Now
before my stories convince you to remain in your locked car for the rest of
summer vacation (snakes get in cars too), I will say that there is another
creature more dangerous as far as deaths go – that’s the yellow jacket. Allergic reactions from stings kill more
people than snake bites by far and the reaction can happen to anyone at any
stage of life even if you have never been allergic before. Rattlesnakes are kind enough to emit a loud “buzzzzzzzzzzzzz”
from rattles, when they have them and are given enough time and space to
react. Copperheads, while deadly silent
and camouflaged better than most modern ninjas could dream about (and heat
seeking, fast, and at times aggressive AWESOME!) will often strike first as a
threat and not waste valuable venom on something it doesn’t plan to eat. You. The
brown little babies don’t know the difference which is why some folks talk
about them. So generally, unless you are
bitten in the neck and your airway swells shut, snake bites are not life
threatening. Of course the pain and
potentially rotting tissue falling off of your leg might make you prefer the
quick exit. I’ve heard of timber
rattlers hitting so hard they break bones.

The
number one thing we can do to avoid the problem of dealing with snake bites is
practice awareness. Moving through the
forest with keen senses, recognizing likely habitats and learning what those
are, not being careless in places we can’t see and learning mild self-hypnosis
for pattern recognition are all tools used by natives of this area. By native I don’t mean skin color, I mean
folks who hunt and hike these woods and have for generations. Self-hypnosis can be as simple as saying to
one’s self, “When I see a single angled pattern similar to ones found on snake
skin, my brain will alert me”, and then visualize the pattern, the eye of a
snake, and a little tail tip. It’s
likely that only a partial visual will be available and most people self-program
to see whole animals and therefore miss much in the forest. With kids there are a series of things that
are fun and effective in teaching them to spot and recognize dangerous snakes
(snake bites are much more serious for small people who are lower to the ground
and a lower body weight).

I like
to print out unlabeled sheets with various local and regional animals on them,
in color. Kids work in teams to identify
the critters with corrections available, and the test is repeated on another
day until everyone scores perfect. In
addition, little rubber snakes like they sell at Dollar General or the grocery
make great spotting aides. Placed around
camp or the home (outside) at random with only partial shapes visible, kids
earn a reward by spotting them and bringing it to the attention of parents or
counselors. Above all, young ones are
taught to not taunt or otherwise molest snakes.
Most snake bites are not sniper-viper attacks but occur when some fool
tries to pick up a snake, chases it into its safe zone, or thinks it’s a
harmless variety. Even non-poisonous
snakes can bite, leaving painful, embedded teeth in your hand. Eustace’s advice? “When a black snake strikes at you don’t
move.” LOL! Ok, whatever you say E man.
I have no doubt he would have such control but the young man he was
counseling jerked away taking the snakes teeth with him. Speaking of Eustace, one time he opened the
door to the hay loft at the Crow’s Nest and a large copperhead reared up waist
high and he beheaded it with a single stroke from his Old Hickory sheath knife,
on the draw. I crap you not.

I had a
group of young boys once, 7-11 years old, out along the base of Dugger Mountain
back in about 2000 or 2001. A kid ran up
screaming, “I stepped on a copperhead!”
I was used to hearing about werewolves and various other invisible
ghosts of the woods from this group so I kind of rolled my eyes. The kid was barefoot and not 15 feet from me
getting water from a spring we had just dug out. Sure enough he was right. The snake was quite forgiving of the
boy. We were not. We ate it.
I’ve told the story many times but you must hear it; when I began to cut
the belly of the hanging snake, pinned to a dead tree with a knife, the
HEADLESS neck curled up and struck my hand.
Dude. The snake’s heart continued
to beat for over an hour, alone, on a rock next to the creek. The skin, placed in water acted as a powerful
crayfish attractant pulling in a dozen mountain lobsters which we added to the
feast. Our nettle, crayfish, copperhead
meal was fine topped off with a few chips ahoy cookies. Rattlesnakes are great too but beware, pit
vipers store poison in their heads.
Coral snakes, however, circulate in through the body and are NOT
edible. No really I’m sure some of you
are thinking, “Like I’m going to eat snake”, but it is very empowering to eat
the thing you so feared. And for
survival skills it’s a rich source of protein and energy. I am a simple woods cook, preferring a light
searing and slow coal cook on a flat rock or in a pan with some olive oil. A stick will work. Pull the meat off sideways, curling along the
ribcage with your teeth. Skins make
beautiful additions to bows, tools, sheaths, belts, headbands, and should be
saved if only for a teaching tool to show others. A quick mount can be made by wrapping the
skin around a stick and throwing some fibers around it. The head of a snake can still be a hazard,
especially if a dog pulls it out of a shallow grave or if someone steps on
it. If you plan on using the head to
scare someone make sure the mouth is closed.

Just
last week at sail camp I was giving a student a hard time for losing his light
and reluctantly passed him mine, or Nina’s.
He took about two steps toward his pee target and said, “There’s a snake”. Right where John Paul and I had been doing
escrima drills in the dark. “What color?”
I asked. “The camouflaged kind”, said
the 8 year old. Uh oh. Sure enough it was the biggest copperhead I’ve
seen, and it took up residence under the rock and tree where my hammock was
anchored. The dark and rain and general
lay of the land convinced me to stay put but throughout the night I’d wake up
and look over the edge of my ENO, shining the light around, just sure the thing
would want to climb out the line and get warm with ol Two Dogs. I wondered if he might mistake my warm butt
for a rabbit and bite me right through the hammock. He was mellow and chill, and cold. Many copperheads are patient and prefer to
avoid any human contact whatsoever. I’ve
had snakes crawl over my chest in Dark Valley, and once had one wrap around my
leg while swimming naked in the Rocky Broad down near Lake Lure. The reason I now mostly camp in hammocks is
a.) I can sleep on a rocky hill if it has trees and b.) SNAKES.

There
are a few guerilla tactics using snake parts that are entertaining if not
useful in some harrowing, last resort situation. In asia people have used snakes to deter
trespass and in times of war. Many drug
storage building have employed a hanging viper, strung by the tail with head at
human neck and face height, to harass anyone trying to move through the
building at night. A common trail trap
includes pinning a snakes tail so that it cannot exit the travel zone. The angry and in pain snake waits along the
path ready to ambush anyone walking by.
Ragnar Benson writes about shining lights into warehouses and seeing a
dozen beady, glowing eyes, reflecting back in the darkness. The venom is easily extracted to add a little
punch to darts and various booby traps, effective as long as the poison remains
potent. Snakes harnessed in tunnels did
much to dissuade American troops in Vietnam, or at least slow down progress in
chasing a VC escapee. Another infamous
trick used around the world is placing deadly snakes in an automobile or
airplane which can have serious consequences and look more like a ‘crash’ than
an assassination.

I just
took a break from writing and went to check on my dog. The flies crowding around his mouth were a
bad sign. He’s dead. Damned snakes.

Mothballs
placed around a home perimeter or tipi can help deter unwanted visitors and
there is a variety of products for purchase that repel snakes. These are often made from concentrated
pellets of clove and cinnamon than don’t dissolve too quick in rain.

First
Aid for snake bites is a subject of debate.
Things to not do include tight tourniquets and ice. Recommended action includes light
constriction of the affected limb, rest if possible, lowering bite area below
the heart. Suction cups are often
included in modern field first aid kits but can be negligible in effect unless
used quickly and correctly. Eustace used
to carry a little retractable razor knife that can hold a set length, very
small, to make a controlled quick incision for immediate treatment (within
seconds). I watched his dog Prarie heal
from a bite to the face over a period of days.
People wonder why I don’t put a seat on my outhouse – just one time
walking in, starting to squat, and seeing the golden eyes on a triangle head
poking out from between wooden slats was enough to sell me on the whole hole
idea. No hiding room for snakes or
spiders. An interesting experimental
treatment that’s gaining ground in the modern era is mild electric shock. Preferably from a DC source at low and
controlled power, the current breaks down and destroys chemical compounds in
the venom reducing its hemotoxic effect.
Infection and secondary medical complications from swelling are often a
problem associated with snake bites.

Well I’m
about done with this writing. I expected
Niko, my other dog, to go any day now.
At seventeen years old she has given it a good run. Gee Lee, also spelled Ghillie for the famous
camo outfit of Scottish origin, is a vital part of home and farm security. Losing a dog up here means aggressive
encroachment of canine predators and less warning time for humans as well. We have them both, especially when the
ginseng berries turn red. Just yesterday
a coyote tore out the throat of a goat in broad daylight down the hill, likely
hoping to return after dark for retrieval.
Gee Lee had special barks for different critters; deer, coyote, human,
and vehemently protected my young kids (the human kind). He will be missed. It’s a rough week on the mountain. I think I’ll go drink some beer. I’m just glad I still have the freedom to buy
good weapons. And nightvision.

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LOTS Information

LOTS Wilderness LLC, is a premier experiential education center in western North Carolina. Summer camps give students the opportunity to track, study edible and medicinal plants, stealth, sailing, hiking, bow hunting, crafts and music in one of a kind 1 to 5 day sessions that preserve traditional knowledge of the Appalachian frontier and native Cherokee. We also offer after school classes year round in a variety of self-defense systems collectively known as Integrated Martial Arts for all ages and ability levels. Participants train in Tang Soo Do, Filipino arts, Kenpo-Jiu Jutsu, Jeet Kune Do concepts, and functional fitness among other topics.